VA Vol 40 No 10 Oct 2012 - Member Home

Transcription

VA Vol 40 No 10 Oct 2012 - Member Home
OCTOBER 2012
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
the Cub
turns
75
Vintage Oct2012.indd 1
9/28/12 9:14 AM
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Vintage Oct2012.indd 2
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A I R P L A N E
Vol. 40, No. 10
2012
OCTOBER
CONTENTS
2
Straight and Level
Major operational changes at VAA
by Geoff Robison
4 The Vintage Instructor
Flying is a family affair
by Steve Krog, CFI
7 Leftovers
A Cub birthday present for EAA
by Marvin V. Hoppenworth
BRAD
Y LAN
E
10 Fields of Gold
Cubs 2 Oshkosh’s 75th birthday bash for the J-3
by Jim Busha
14
Walking the Line
Sparky’s AirVenture 2012 notebook
by Sparky Barnes
26
2012 Vintage Aircraft Awards
30
The Vintage Mechanic
Aircraft fabric covering, Part 3
by Robert G. Lock
34
Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy
37
Classifieds
STAFF
EAA Publisher
Director of EAA Publications
Editor
VAA Executive Administrator
ANY COMMENTS?
Send your thoughts to the
Vintage Editor at:
[email protected]
For missing or replacement magazines, or
any other membership-related questions, please call
EAA Member Services at 800- JOIN-EAA (564-6322).
Rod Hightower
J. Mac McClellan
Jim Busha
Theresa Books
Advertising:
Sue Anderson
Jonathan Berger
Jeff Kaufman
VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903
COVERS
FRONT COVER: Steve Krog flies with Luke Lachendro over the sea of Cubs
parked at Hartford during the Cubs2Osh get together. Photo Jim Koepnick.
BACK COVER: Hats off to the Vintage Volunteers! Without you none of this
would be possible. Steve Moyer photo.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
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STRAIGHT & LEVEL
Geoff Robison
EAA #268346, VAA #12606
president, VAA
Major operational changes at VAA
A
s many of you are acutely
aware, H.G. Frautschy departed the offices of the
VAA just a few days ago.
The resulting operational
challenges that we are faced with now
virtually reside at our doorstep. Most
employees will typically go into “kickback” mode in the waning days of their
employment within an organization
such as ours. H.G. in fact cr eated a
checklist of items to be executed in his
absence, and then completely finished
his job before he turned in his keys. I
really appreciated his dedication and
concern for the VAA. No one can ever
challenge his passion for this organization. I hope to see you at Oshkosh
2013, my friend.
And now we as an organiz ation
need to step forward and execute on
the many challenges I can clearly see
on our doorstep. We are all pleased
to see Theresa Books grasp onto a
number of these challenges. She has
already stepped up and has eagerly
engaged herself in assisting the VAA
Executive Committee in redefining her
new role in assisting us with keeping
the organization on a clear path t o
success. A number of directors have
also stepped forward to take on new
responsibilities to assist us in maintaining and improving our website,
maintaining a good relationship with
our chapters, and of course, we have a
new magazine editor. In fact, you are
holding in your hands the first edition
of Vintage Airplane magazine as produced and edited by Jim Busha, our
new editor. It’s great to have you on
board, Jim.
For those of you who are engaged
in one the many type clubs, you may
have recently read in your newsletter
where Jim has developed an idea to
create some space in our magazine
titled Type Club Corner. Jim’s idea
is to allow space for the type clubs to
announce type club fly-ins, AD news,
re cent restorations , developing
safety issues, or anything else type
club related you may wish to submit.
Jim also announced to the type club
membership that he will be accepting full-length feature articles with
photos on their favorite flying machines. There you go, guys and girls;
here’s your chance to get famous!
Seriously though, we all know that
there are hundreds of folks out there
with tons of raw talent that can be
turned into educational, interesting,
and valuable content. Especially you
youngsters in your 60s and 70s who
know so many tricks of this trade;
you should consider sharing these
with your fellow members.
For those of us who consistently encourage the youth of our communities
to engage and educate themselves with
all things aviation, we were enthralled
to be witness to a very unique award
winner at Oshkosh this year. When was
the last time you heard of a 17-year-old
young man, who by the way just graduated from high school, who restored
a 1954 Cessna 170 and actually won
the Classic Reserve Grand Champion
Lindy? Now that’s impressive. That
young man’s name is Dillon Barron of
Perry, Missouri, and he spent three
years completing the restoration of
his C-170. Although Dad and Grandpa
participated in the restoration, Dillon
actually completed the bulk of the restoration and the research on his own.
Dillon actually finished the restoration
on July 23, just before the big show
started. It was an amazing night for me
during the awards ceremony to learn
that Dillon’s 170 had scored so high. I
had met Dillon when we featured him
and the aircraft at the Vintage in Review Interview Circle in front of the
Red Barn, and I was quite impressed
by the quality of the work that was accomplished on this airframe. I think I
was as excited as his dad when we presented him with his Lindy. Congratulations, Dillon! We hope to see you and
the 170 in the Past Grand Champion
row in 2013. (Look for a feature story
on Dillon in an upcoming issue of Vintage Airplane.)
It’s now early September here in
northeast Indiana, and I can still work
in the hangar with the doors open. But
all too soon, the chill of fall weather
will be upon us, and it will again be
time to hunker down in the hangar.
I could sure go for another relatively
mild winter as we experienced last
winter, but the almanac seems to be
completely adverse to that formula.
Let’s hope for the best!
As always, please do us all the favor of inviting a friend to join the
VAA, and help keep us the strong association we have all enjoyed for so
many years.
VAA is about participation:
Be a member! Be a volunteer!
Be there!
Let’s all pull in the same direction for the overall good of
aviation.
Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.
Come share the passion!
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Nominat
ions
C A L L F OR V I N TA G E A I R C R A F T A S S O C I AT ION
Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could
be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you
on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting,
or walking next to you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Think
about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could
be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee—but only if they are
nominated.
The person you nominate can be a citizen of any country and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement
in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and
the present day. His or her contribution can be in the areas
of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments,
administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field,
or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or have been a member of the
Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division
of EAA, and preference is given to those whose actions have
contributed to the VAA in some way, perhaps as a volunteer,
a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a
photographer, or a pilot sharing stories, preserving aviation
history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.
To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part.
•Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation.
•Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form.
•Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that
may substantiate your view.
•If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the
person is a good candidate for induction.
This year’s induction ceremony will be held near the end of October. We’ll have follow-up information once the date has been finalized.
We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations
for the honor are kept on file for 3 years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted.
Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp.
PO Box 470350
Tulsa, OK 74147
E-mail: [email protected]
Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today!
Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy
(920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information:
•Date submitted.
•Name of person nominated.
•Address and phone number of nominee.
•E-mail address of nominee.
•Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death.
•Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative.
•Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative.
•VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.)
•Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation.
(Must be between 1950 to present day.)
•Area(s) of contributions to aviation.
•Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to
be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame.
•Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation.
•Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the
contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the
honor and/or award the nominee has received.
•Any additional supporting information.
•Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address.
•Include any supporting material with your petition.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
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Vintage
Instructor
THE
BY Steve Krog, CFI
Flying is a family affair
I recently had the distinct pleasure of flying with two
individuals who have truly inspired me. They are a father
and son who began taking flight lessons together about a
month ago.
Jordan, the 16-year-old son, approached his father,
Ben, early in the summer and mentioned that he would
really like to learn to fly. No one else on either side of the
family is a pilot nor has a career in anything aviationrelated. The interest in and urge to fly is something Jordan
developed on his own.
When Jordan made his father aware of his interests,
his father gave it some thought before responding. It got
him thinking about flying airplanes. Then he realized that
he, too, had a passion for learning to fly but had always
put the thought out of his mind, as no one around him expressed an interest in aviation.
Now that he had a 16-year-old son showing interest,
he let his imagination take over, allowing the desire to
rise to the surface. After some thought Ben talked with
Jordan, and they agreed on a plan. If Jordan was going
to learn to fly, so was Dad! He feared that his son might
change his mind.
We all know (and most of us have experienced) that
from the age of 14 to about 25, we think of our d ad as
“dumber than a box of rocks.” I know I went through that
phase, but about the time I reached my mid-20s I realized my dad was a lot smarter than I had ever given him
credit for. In later years before my dad passed, I used to
kid him a lot about having gone to night school while I was
away seeking fame and fortune, because he was so much
smarter than when I had left home at age 17.
Ben and Jordan’s relationship was on much better footing, but still Ben didn’t want his son to either feel like
he was competing with him or trying to be a good buddy
rather than a father.
Jordan had no problem with his father wanting to learn
to fly. In fact, it is working quite well.
When Ben and Jordan came to me and expressed their
interest in learning to fly, it brought a smile to my face. After spending a little time one-on-one with each of them, it
was apparent that both had a strong desire to master flight.
Flight lessons began. Jordan would fly in the late afternoon, and Ben would fly after work. I’m not sure who
was enjoying the challenges of f light more. The weather
was cooperative, and the flight schedule allowed them to
progress at about the same rate. Each and every flight was
sheer pleasure for me as both were eager to learn, but Ben
was a bit more talkative. He would frequently comment
during a lesson about the beauty and wonderment of flying an airplane. Ben has stated a number of times that
he wished he had pursued his dream of learning to fly 20
years earlier.
4 OCTOBER 2012
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Progress for both continued, and soon we were working in the traffic pattern, learning the intricacies of making takeoffs and landings in a Piper J-3 Cub. Finally, about
one week ago the day came, but the wind was quite unpredictable during Jordan’s flight lesson. He learned a
lot during that flight; reading the windsock after turning
onto the final approach, adjusting power when the wind
velocity changed, and being prepared to lower a wing and
add opposite rudder when a gust would want to move the
plane off the centerline during level-off, flare, and touchdown. After the lesson was over Jordan had to leave, unfortunately. Usually he would wait and watch his dad fly.
When Ben and I got ready for our flight that evening,
the wind finally settled down to a near calm condition. I
smiled to myself as we taxied to the runway. I knew that if
Ben could demonstrate his ability to take off and land as
well today as he had done the day before, he was going to
solo today.
Our first takeoff and landing was near perfect. The second time around, the traffic pattern was even better. As
we rolled to a stop, I told him I wanted to see another
takeoff and landing as nice as the first two. The third was
even better. As we were rolling out, I asked Ben to taxi
back to the end of the runway. About halfway back I asked
him to stop for a moment, and at that point I told him it
was time for me to get out. He first looked at me in awe,
and then an ear-to-ear grin crossed his face. I told him to
make three takeoffs and landings, then taxi back to the
hangar.
When Ben arrived back at the hangar and k illed the
engine, he sat in the airplane for a minute with the big-
Jordan and Ben
.
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gest grin I’ve seen in a long time. A ll of the local airport folks had been alerted, so as soon as he had his feet
firmly planted on the ground, the entire airport crew
gave him a round of applause. All shook his hand, welcoming him into the exclusive club of
having flown solo in an airplane.
Photos were taken as I “neatly ”
removed the back of his shirt with a
very dull scissors followed by a second round of applause. Refreshments
were brought out, and we all toasted
Ben on his accomplishment.
Later I told Ben that Jordan was
ready to solo, so we agreed to swap
their flight times for the next day. Jordan would fly in the evening when the
wind was calmer.
The next evening arrived, and Jordan and I taxied to the favored runway.
The flight was a repeat of the previous
day. After three near-perfect takeoffs
and landings, I had Jordan taxi to the edge of the runway.
After he stopped, I told him I was getting out, and his grin
was even wider than his father’s. Unbeknownst to Jordan,
his mother and sister had been alerted to the probable solo
flight. They all remained out of Jordan’s sight, but the cameras with telephoto lenses were capturing every one of his
takeoffs and landings.
Jordan completed his three takeoffs and landings
flawlessly. As he arrived back at the hangar, the whole
airport crew was once again assembled and rewarded his
first solo flight with applause and shouts of congratulations. The dull scissors was again
brought out, and photos were taken
of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
The grill was then lit, and we all
celebrated the father-son duo and
their achievement of solo flight with
brats and refreshments.
I’m not sure who was prouder—father, son, or me! I always find it personally rewarding when I meet the new
first-solo pilot at the conclusion of the
flight. The first words they utter are
usually, “Wow, this thing really jumps
in the air and climbs out without you
in it. And, it floats forever on the landing.” Each will then tell you about every
landing, how it felt, and what they did
wrong. It is truly fun to watch their expressions and hand
and body movements as they detail each landing.
No matter our age, nor how long we have each been flying, there is one thing we all have in common: the memory
of our individual first solo flight! It is something that we
will never forget. What a pleasure it is to see and help others experience their first flight!
The grill was then
lit, and we all
celebrated the
father-son duo
and their achievement of solo flight
with brats and
refreshments.
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Leftovers
A Cub birthday present for EAA
by Mar vin V. Hoppenwor th
EAA 2519 Life & E AA Tech Counselor 11
O
n July 11,
2012, I delivered the 75th
anniversary Piper J-3
Cub to the EAA Museum. This is a unique
aircraft. It was built
u p f ro m l e f to v e r
parts. It has no pedigree, no title,
no registration, no airworthiness
certificate,
rworthiness certificate
and the engine will not run.
This has been an ongoing project. A
friend in Ohio, Don Helmick, offered
me one of two J-3 Cub fuselages that he
had hanging in the ceiling of his hangar.
I chose one, and when I got home, it
was bare-bones tubing with a gas-tank
mounting for a 9-gallon fuel tank. I sent
the fuselage number to Clyde Smith Jr.
(The Cub Doctor), and he verified it was
indeed a 40-hp J-3 built in 1937. (The
first year of the J-3 Cub.)
Sometime later, I had a 1946 J-3 Cub
fuselage in my shop. I brought in the
1937 fuselage, repaired it, and added
all the features to make it exactly like
the 1946 model, a new bird cage, cowl
formers, and all. My goal was to make
this as accurate a static display model
of a 1946 J-3 Cub as possible. (The last
year of the Piper J-3 Cub.)
Keystone Instruments of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, was very helpful.
With a little horse-trading, it was very
kind to me and refaced my instruments and refurbished the compass.
With a new instrument panel, we were
like a new 1946. Even the compass correction card is dated 1946.
There are parts from more than 20
different Cubs in this project. The cabin
door came from a T-hangar in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, courtesy of Norm Petersen.
Years ago I had purchased several sets
of damaged wings, trying to get four
JIM BUSHA
Marvin stands in front of the first
Piper Cub he restored-an L-4H he
converted back into a J-3. This
photo is circa 1953 after Marvin
returned from Korea.
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Note the Piper “single squeeze” on the cable. Brass safety wire was
common in 1946.
A fixture that was developed to
permit me to rotate the wing by
myself. The wingtip is held by a
fixture that pivots and is attached
at the ends of the spar. I had to
have one wing in the vertical position to work on the other wing
in my small shop.
JIM BUSHA
This fixture permitted me to rotate the tail surfaces all at one movement
to any angle for brushing or spraying and park vertically to save space.
The rudder was sprayed in position.
Fred Stadler moves the Cub’s tail end for position in front of EAA’s Pioneer Airport. Marvin borrowed the ‘N’ numbers from his first J-3 Cub.
good spars to repair a wind-damaged
Cub. This left me with boxes of repairable ribs and ailerons. The Museum
Cub’s wings contain straightened spars,
spliced spars, and many repaired ribs.
New sheet metal and wing tip bows
were added. Now the wings look like
new 1946 Cub wings.
The control surfaces were repaired
where needed. The trailing edge of the
rudder was reinforced to ensure that
the straight part stays straight. The
inboard ribs of the stabilizers were
reinforced with channel so that they
will not bend over time. The landing
gear tops were also made much stronger. The landing gear shock struts were
made solid so they would never sag
due to bad shock cords.
The lift struts, although they look
good, are not airworthy. A second hole
was drilled in the top end so they will
never finish up in a certified aircraft.
New control cables were fabricated.
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JIM BUSHA
JIM BUSHA
JIM BUSHA
Yes, that is Continental Gray, and
the engine has Champion C-26
spark plugs.
I developed a fixture to duplicate the
“single squeeze” that was popular on
the 1946 Piper aircraft. It takes more
than 8 tons to do the single squeeze
on 1/8-inch Nicropress sleeves.
Ceconite fabric with the nitrate and
butyrate dope system was chosen to finish the aircraft. Clyde Smith Jr. of Lock
Haven, Pennsylvania, has written much
about the restoration of Cubs, and his
information was very helpful. I had to
build some special fixtures so that I
could handle the fabric work and painting in my small shop by myself. Jim and
Dondi Miller of Aircraft Technical Support Inc. from Orient, Ohio, were very
gracious and helpful in support of the
fabric-covering part of the project.
New sheet metal and cowling was
ordered, from the instrument panel
forward, because I wanted Univair
quality for this project.
The engine, as I mentioned previously, does not run. My goal was to
have it look just like a 1946 Continen-
tal A65-8. Every time I tried to get
Continental Gray, I wound up sending back gold-colored paint. So I took
the data plate off the crankcase, polished that area, and took it to the
paint store telling them, “Match that.”
Yes, the A65-8 now has Continental
Gray paint where it should be gray and
black where it should be black and unpainted where that is proper. I had a
new-old-stock Continental data plate,
and when I stamped the numbers I
also stamped “not airworthy” in the
place for the serial number.
Randy Hartman of Alpha & Omega
Aircraft of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was very
kind and let me assemble the Cub in his
hangar so I could rig it and fit the fairings. All new fairings were fabricated
and fit. In the 1940s, Piper had bolts
fabricated with “Piper Cub” embossed
on the head. There are 15 such bolts installed and visible on the Museum Cub.
The Cub was then broken down
for deliver y to Oshkosh, Wiscon-
sin. Can you imagine a Chevy pickup
with an 8-foot box hauling a pair
of 18-foot Cub wings? The fuselage
followed a week later, to be mated
again with its wings. This time a carhauling trailer was used.
My first airplane was a Cub. It was
a Piper L-4H that I purchased from
the pilot, Lt. Vernon Sandrock, who
was flying it at the end of WWII. He
brought the airplane back with him
when he returned to the United States
and had it certified as a Piper J-3-65
in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. I purchased this aircraft from him in 1948
in a damaged condition, repaired and
re-covered it, and on January 2, 1949,
I was the proud owner of a near new
Piper J-3 Cub. I have borrowed the
registration number, NC9245H from
that Cub for this Museum Cub.
This has been a challenging and gratifying experience. I hope everyone who
sees this Cub will notice what the 1946
Piper J-3-65 Cubs were like.
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Fields of Gold
Cubs 2 Oshkosh’s 75th birthday bash for the J-3
by Jim Busha
It was fascinating
to observe him from
a distance, roaming
between the bright
b
yyellow fabric covered flightline, the
g r illed sausa ge
haze of the food
tents , and the
buzzing activity
inside the volung
o
r
Steve K
teer
headquarters
t
located at Miles Field in Hartford, Wisconsin. As he strolled leisurely
about the airport dozens of questions
and requests were thrown at him, most
simultaneously. There were safety issues, golf cart troubles, traffic pattern
concerns, and a Porta-Potty without
toilet paper to name a few. Most ordinary men would have become irritated under the warm Wisconsin sun
with the endless volley of inquiries
and thrown up their hands in disgust.
Thankfully Steve “Papa Bear” Krog is no
ordinary man. He handled each question with his trademark warm smile
and gentle chuckle, and left no doubt
to the requester that his or hers was
as important as all the others before.
Mr. Piper was certainly smiling down
on him and must have been tremendously proud of Steve, especially since
he agreed to be one of the co-founders
of the Piper J-3 birthday bash simply
known as “Cubs 2 Oshkosh.”
Volunteer Spirit
“I remember relaxing with a group of
friends one evening at AirVenture 2011,”
said Steve, “and recall someone saying,
‘The Cub turns 75 next year, we ought
to do something.’ Suddenly there was
ghostly silence, and I noticed everyone
slowly turn their heads, smile, and look
at me. I could read their minds behind
those evil grins, so I agreed to ‘add another stick’ to my already raging inferno
and soon enlisted the help of other Cub
fanatics like Rick Rademacher and Dana
Osmanski to begin planning a birthday
party like no other for the Cub.”
The Cub gang selected the city of
Hartford, Wisconsin, as the gathering site and hoped for more than 200
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BRADY LANE
JIM BUSHA
the city of Hartford, they opened their
arms and practically gave us the key to
the city. Thankfully the generosity didn’t
stop there, as other Cub-related businesses around the country threw their
hats into the ring and gave us their support. Some of them include Piper Aircraft Corporation, Univair Aircraft
Corporation, Avemco, Dakota Cub Aircraft Inc., Freeman’s Just Plane Hardware, and a host of others. I can’t thank
all those wonderful people enough. As
aviators we are truly blessed to not only
fly, but to be associated with some really
awesome people!”
Is There a Doctor
in the House?
Cubs to join in on the c elebration
before flying the 60 miles en masse
into AirVenture 2012. Steve soon
realized that with that many yellow
airplanes on one small field he would
need a lot more help.
“I took off my socks and began doing the math,” recalled Steve. “With almost 200 airplanes showing up I would
need volunteers to flag them in, park
them, register them, and feed them—
and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
I knew that crowds of other Cub admirers were also bound to show up, and that
would generate other tasks that needed
to be accomplished. When I approached
JIM BUSHA
The preparation to get all of the Cubs
safely to AirVenture Oshkosh the day
before the opening ceremonies was laid
out as if they were planning a large-scale
World War II mission. Flight paths, takeoff time slots, and which J-3 would fly
in what group and in what order were
just a few of the hurdles Steve and his
staff encountered before zero hour. It
was determined that the Cub selected
to lead the entire flight would be the
freshly restored example owned by longtime VAA member and 2005 EAA Hall of
Fame inductee Richard “Doc” Knutson
and his son, VAA Treasurer Dan Knutson, both hailing from Lodi, Wisconsin.
Doc had purchased the 1940 J-3, number NC30758, in 1971 and restored it
for the first time. Since owning their Cub
the father and son team have restored
the J-3 twice more—once in the late
1990s and again in 2010.
“We just enjoy these old airplanes,”
said Dan. “Working side by side with
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BRADY LANE
my father for all these years on the
countless airplanes we have restored
together has been truly priceless, and
are memories I will cherish for the rest
of my life. For us the Cub represents
the simple pleasures in life. Flying low
and slow, waving at friends and neighbors a few hundred feet below, and
soaking up all the sights and smells
as the world slowly f loats by can really only be done in a Cub. Life really
doesn’t get much better than that!”
When the time came to select the
lead pilot to escort this memorable
mission it was an easy choice for Steve
and his fellow volunteers; Clyde “The
Cub Doctor” Smith Jr. would act as the
mother hen leading the way into AirVenture while at the controls of the
Knutson J-3 with almost 75 Cubs following behind. Clyde was also bestowed
with another accolade before his arrival
at AirVenture 2012—in November he
will be inducted into the EAA Sport
Aviation-Vintage Hall of Fame.
“I am truly humbled by all of this,”
said Clyde. “Although I have fielded
countless technical questions from
fellow Cub owners and restorers, laid
my hands and assisted in repairing,
rebuilding, and flying so many other
Cubs for more years than I care to remember, leading this ‘flight of gold’
into AirVenture is truthfully an honor
I will never forget.”
12 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 14
9/28/12 9:25 AM
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CHRIS HIBBEN PHOTOS
Glenn Kinnegerg is
all smiles in front ofTelephone Orders: 800-843-3612
From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)
his PA-11 that*Shipping
he has
and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.
owned for the
last 65 years.
75th J-3 Birthday Bash
at AirVenture 2012
As the golden rays of early morning
sunlight crept westward over the AirVenture grounds, orange-vested VAA volunteers of all shapes and sizes began to
scurry about the grassy parking area like
a bunch of picnic ants awaiting the dessert that was about to arrive. Looking
south down Runway 18-36, the dots in
the sky began to grow larger as a gaggle
of yellow-colored J-3 Cubs along with a
handful of olive drab L-4s began their final
descent into Oshkosh a day before the official opening. As they landed and taxied
in, the cadre of orange-vested volunteers
resembled morning rush hour traffic cops
and directed each J-3 safely to its parking
spot. By the time the last propeller ticked
over, there were more than 180 Cubs that
formed a blanket of gold on the field.
Throughout the week Cub owners and
pilots not only performed aerobatic routines and fly-bys for the air show mass
but also answered question after question by the inquisitive AirVenture crowds
and shared with them why the Piper J-3
Cub and its contemporaries are so much
darn fun to fly. One of those owners just
happened to be crowned the “Cub pilot
who has owned his aircraft the longest.”
Glenn Kinnegerg, EAA 415417 and VAA
26857, shared his thoughts on flying the
same blue and yellow PA-11 Cub for the
last 65 years.
“Back in 1947 I had ‘an old Cub,’” said
Glenn who hails fr om Minnesota. “I
wanted something newer so I traded my
J-3 along with 1,500 bucks and bought
this PA-11, number N4642M. I kept it on
the family farm for the first 48 years until the city I live in finally built an airport.
I’ve restored it twice since I’ve owned it,
first time with Linen. I’m 85 years old, and
I guess the biggest piece of advice I can
give anyone interested in flying is this—
if you take care of yourself and your airplane, well by golly, you’ll never be too old
to keep on flying!”
I hope for all of us that Glenn’s words
ring true with Steve Krog. It had been rumored that at the end of AirVenture week,
Steve and his fellow Cub buddies were sitting around the campsite when one of them
made the following comment, “Hey, in 25
years the Cub will be 100 years old, and we
ought to really throw a big party for it.” All
eyes turned to Steve, who this time said
nothing and simply stood before his peers
with a beaming smile. Turning to all before
him he lifted his glass, smiled, and said,
“Long live the Piper Cub! And please, please,
please let me be retired by then so someone
else can do all the planning!”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
Vintage Oct2012.indd 15
9/28/12 9:25 AM
Walking the Line
Sparky’s AirVenture 2012 notebook
ar ticle and pho t o s by Sparky B arnes
T
his year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, a golf
cart was made available to me so I could cover
the grounds with ease and relative speed. As
appreciative as I was of that generous opportunity, I just couldn’t resist schlepping my camera
bag and casually strolling betwixt and between
the rows of flying machines on foot. It’s akin to walking
through a living museum where I can pause by an object
that piques my interest—except in this case, it’s the people
and their airplanes that offer such an interesting and interactive opportunity to savor personalities and craftsmanship. For me, “hoofing it” is the best way to meet pilots and
see their airplanes. So I spent four days ambling along and
enjoyed meeting a delightful cadre of aviators. Some folks
were wiping morning raindrops from their airplanes and
tending to their camping gear, while others were trying to
survive the midday heat (100°F on Monday) by sheltering
in the shade of their airplane’s wings. The pilots I chatted
with told me that, by in large, they are here for the people
first, and then the airplanes. So perhaps it’s not surprising
that folks out in the flying fields are friendly. Walking from
row to row (starting from the Red Barn, all the way down
to the South 40) is a great way to make and renew acquaintances and really see a wide variety of airplanes; I just never
know what kind of story may unfold when I ask people to
tell me a little bit about their flying experiences and their
airplanes. Here, then, are the stories and photos I collected
to share with you…
Dillon Barron of Perry, Missouri, just turned 17, and among his many aviation-related accomplishments is
the restoration of this 1954 Cessna 170B. His passion, skill, and attention to detail enabled N1899C to become this
year’s Reserve Grand Champion – Silver Lindy winner in the Classic category.
14 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 16
9/28/12 9:25 AM
Ed Myers lives in Crystal Lake, Illinois,
and keeps his 1962 Piper PA-22-108 Colt
at Poplar Grove Airport. An active member of EAA Chapter 1414, Myers explains
that his airplane (N5569Z) is a converted
Piper Colt, saying, “According to the records, it spent the beginning of its life
as a flight trainer, and then sometime in
the 1970s they converted it to a taildragger. It still has its original Lycoming O-235
engine. Then two-and-a-half years ago,
I was in the process of building a Pitts
Model 12, and a lot of people were telling
me that I’d better get a lot of tailwheel
time before I flew it. I started looking at
Barnstormers.com, and I’d never even
heard of a taildragger Colt before. So I
went to take a look at it and got it for a good price. I’ve put close to 200 hours on it; I’ve found out that the
more I fly it, the better the engine gets, and the better I get at flying it.”
This was his fourth year at AirVenture, his second year flying in, and his first year flying in and camping with
his airplane, which is an experience he loves. “I come to AirVenture to see the vintage airplanes and warbirds,” he shares, “and yesterday afternoon, I was standing next to my plane when a man walks by and says,
‘Hey, is that airplane out of Mississippi?’ It turned out that he used to own my airplane, and we talked for
quite a while. So that’s one of my special AirVenture moments.”
Myers has enjoyed flying 36 Young Eagles so far—especially since he didn’t have an opportunity to fly in a
small plane himself until he was 17. “I’ve been into airplanes since I was 6, and I’d go to the airport but didn’t
know who to talk to and felt a barrier there. So I figure if I can help out some kid who was like me when I was
8 years old and dying to get an airplane ride, then I’m kind of giving back a little.”
John and Marian Spenner of Fenton,
Missouri, were camping with their 230hp Continental-powered 1958 Cessna
180B this year. “This is our third trip; in
2010 we came up here and we camped
in Vintage, had a great time. Last year,
we drove up, and we had such a good
time that this year we flew N508E here
and are going to try to endure the
whole week—even at our ‘old age,’ you
know?” John laughs, adding, “We have
a better handle now on what goes on
up here, so we got a little bit bigger
tent so we’re more comfortable. And
we found some of the places to eat and
have a little fun.”
M a r i a n w h o l e h ea r t e d l y e n j o y s
AirVenture as well, sharing that she
“soloed years ago but never completed and got my license. But I get to fly with John, so it’s not like I don’t have
any hands-on.”
“She soloed back in the Stone Ages, about 40 years ago,” John chuckles. “But she did take a pinch hitter’s
course, so in case I go belly up, she can fly it. We purchased the airplane from a friend of ours five-and-a-half
years ago, and it took a hard winter and part of a summer to get it back flying again. It had been sitting for 30
years. The guy had a little medical problem, but he didn’t want to let go of it; finally he decided to sell it. We’ve
had five airplanes: two Cessna 172s, a Cherokee 180, and a Cessna 150—and now the 180 is our ride.”
“John spent a lot of time and effort and money to get them going again, which is fine by me—I love to fly!”
says Marian. “Besides, if he doesn’t have a project, he gets antsy. So it’s good for him.” To which her husband
of 46 years rejoins with a loving smile, “And it keeps me out of her hair. If I have a project, I don’t bother her!”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Vintage Oct2012.indd 17
9/28/12 9:26 AM
John Pfleiderer of north
central Ohio flew in with
friend and aircraft owner Tom
Schulze to camp this year. He
was packing up their camping gear while Schulze was
obtaining a weather briefing prior to their departure. According to Pfleiderer,
Schulze’s 1951 PA-22 (N919A)
Tri-Pacer was converted to a
Pacer, and Schulze restored
it to its present condition.
“I take the occasional trip
with Tom,” says Pfleiderer.
“We both used to be involved in EAA Chapter 516 in
Marion. I’ve been coming
up to Oshkosh for about 28
years; I like the air show, but
I enjoy the forums the most.
They have such a variety, and
there’s a lot of knowledge out
there which is informative
and interesting to listen to.
Plus, I like just being here!”
Art teacher Mary Jo Rado decided
to fly her pretty 1948 Ercoupe Model
E (N94867) to Oshkosh for the first
time, all the way from her home in
Costa Mesa, California. With an 85-hp
Continental powering it, she enjoyed
an average cruising speed of 100 mph.
She took four days, enjoying leisurely
legs, heading north through Cheyenne.
She bought her Ercoupe in 1992, right
after she earned her private. Rado
says, “It was in London, Kentucky,
and I had never flown one—and my
husband wasn’t a pilot. We bought it
sight unseen and flew it to Ocean City,
Maryland, so I could make my first cross-country flight as a licensed pilot.”
“It was the dumbest thing—we had no idea what we were doing,” she laughs. “But we were younger, and
we had a lot of adventures with it. I think AirVenture is so aptly named. Flying is always an adventure! I knew
this fly-in was going to be big, but there’s just no way to sum up this space. It’s so beautiful, and so much
about aviation and its history—it’s just amazing!”
For years, Rado delighted in “flying the heck out of it! Then I had an engine [problem] and made an off-field
landing outside the Grand Canyon. We took the airplane apart in the national forest and towed it out behind
a minivan; it was a lot of fun.” She reflects good-naturedly, adding, “We got it home and had the engine
redone and pickled. Then we started stripping paint and making just a little bit of progress on the airframe
through the years. We did a lot of the work ourselves; my husband passed away in ’04, and it was the last
thing on his to-do list. Having that list kept me together, and this was the last thing on it. So I towed it out
to EAA Chapter 1 at Flabob, where we were members, and they put everything back together. Jan Johnson did
the fabric; the wings were finished in 2006, and the rest of the plane was finalized in 2010. I kept the panel as
simple as possible, and now I fly with an iPad and Foreflight, which is fabulous—but I still like paper sectionals. It flies great; it’s really sweet, and it’s like a buddy now.”
16 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 18
9/28/12 9:26 AM
John Barron of Barron Aviation in Perry, Missouri, and his brother,
Steve (left), were relaxing by John’s Jacobs-powered 1952 Cessna 195
(N9854A) one morning. John is a retired TWA airline pilot, and he sums
up AirVenture this way: “The best thing about Oshkosh is one gets to
meet the finest people, and talk about our love of airplanes, see and
hear them fly, look at how they were restored or built, and compare
them to what you have.”
Sharing a little about his background in aviation, he recalls, “I first
soloed a Cessna 150 in 1962 and bought a Taylorcraft shortly thereafter,
and I’ve been around tailwheel airplanes ever since. And then I was a
parts salesman and covered a 600-mile radius of Kansas City flying my
airplane—whatever it happened to be—and selling parts to FBOs. That
was very educational because you saw every kind of aviation; you saw
the problems, the fixes, and it probably taught me more about airplanes
than any other single job that I had. We got to see everything from trainers to jets—I became a paid airport bum!”
Through the years, he’s also enjoyed a variety of flying experiences. He
shares that he’s “done a little crop-dusting in PA-11 Cubs with Sorenson
belly packs, spraying postage stamps around this earth; did some firebombing in a PBY and the Navy version of the B-24; and charter flights.
Including my airline time, I just topped 33,000 hours.”
John attributes his involvement with Cessna 190/195s entirely to his son,
Mike, a dedicated 195 enthusiast. John recalls taking a trip one time, and
when he came home, “I found out that my son and my wife had gone off
to Escanaba, Michigan, and bought a basket case 195. They hadn’t even
told me about it! So before I knew it, Mike was building 195 parts. Then I
came into the business later, when I sold my beloved Bonanza and bought
a 195—I realized I was hooked! I really enjoy the 195 because it’s a good
airplane and modern in its performance. With some careful tweaking,
mine can get 170 mph true airspeed—yet the 195 looks so art deco, and I
love the round engine. Mike is an IA and I’m an A&P. And we started working together, making parts and doing maintenance and repairs. [Barron
Aviation holds several STCs for 190/195 mods.] Before long, we had a set of
jigs, and now we’re rebuilding our 41st and 42nd airplane.”
Steve also enjoys flying—in his long-cherished Ercoupe. “I’ve had it for
a long time,” smiles John’s brother, “and will probably never get rid of
it. I don’t really do as much with airplanes as I do with houses, though.
I buy old houses and renovate them. So John does airplanes, and I do
houses! This is about the fifth time I’ve been to AirVenture. It’s a great
getaway from home, and I really enjoy it.”
Vintage member Ken Clark of
Tulsa, Oklahoma, was all smiles
under the wing of his 1946 Piper
J-3C-65 Cub—not only because he
was at AirVenture but also because
he was enjoying quite the celebration this year. “I’m 75 years old,
and this is the 75th anniversary of
the Cub,” he smiles, “so I could
not miss being part of the Cubs
to Oshkosh. I’ve been here before
with NC88005, back in 1999, and
I think Charlie Harris had something to do with me getting an
outstanding Cub award.”
Clark, a Cub Club member, has
owned his J-3 about 15 years, and
he’s logged about 1,000 hours in it.
“By the time we all left to fly here,
there were about 80 or 90 J-3s,
plus another cluster of Cubs which
were painted flashy colors, or had
clipped wings, or were other versions of Cub-type aircraft,” he
says. “We made a mass flight, in
trail, and it took 40 minutes for
all of us to take off from Hartford.
They put us off in 20-second-plusor-minus intervals.” Clark elaborates, “It was a real misty morning,
and I lost sight of my lead who
was only half a mile ahead of me.
Finally I saw him, and I had a GPS
and realized we were about five
miles east of course, but we faded
back over and got on course again.
When we arrived at Oshkosh, we
made [an] alternate landing on
two runways so we’d have separation on the field. I’ve come to
AirVenture about 10 times, and I
enjoy the people every time—the
airplanes are wonderful, but that’s
because the people make it their
life dream to own and/or restore
their airplanes.”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Vintage Oct2012.indd 19
9/28/12 9:26 AM
Vintage member Bob Runkle of Swanton,
Ohio, was all smiles standing beside his
1953 Cessna 170B, which received the
Outstanding Cessna 170/180 – Small Plaque
this year. “I love being here at Oshkosh,” he
says, “and really enjoy flying my Cessna 170;
I’ve had it about five years now. I started
with a Cessna 140 [which he restored as an
award winner] and then got the 170, which
has a 145-hp Continental and will cruise
at 100 knots. I bought it from a fellow in
Brevard, North Carolina, who had just put
it together and only had about three hours
of flight time on it when he was diagnosed
with cancer. He named it Aunt Bee (of The
Andy Griffith show). I’m still refining the
airplane; last year I replaced all the avionics in it and pulled the number two cylinder off for lead fouling on the
exhaust valve. Just two weeks ago, I had the number three cylinder off for exactly the same reason.”
Those aren’t the only challenges that Runkle has faced during the time he’s owned N3140A. Three years ago, he
suffered a heart attack and flatlined twice. A self-confessed “gearhead,” Runkle naturally relates his body to a
machine. “Looking back at my lifestyle, I was really trying to kill myself, I guess—and I almost succeeded,” says
Runkle. “That changed everything in my life; as we get older we get less immortal, but that really made it apparent
that my time is finite.” He shares, “It took me a year-and-a-half to get my medical back. Now I can go through my
original AME to get my medical. It’s a lot of testing and paperwork every year, but it’s worth it to get back in the air.
Plus, I’ve lost 75 pounds, my cholesterol and blood pressure are within normal range, and I have much healthier
eating and exercise habits now. Every day really is a gift.”
VAA Director Emeritus
Gene Morris was relaxing
in the shade of his son’s
1941 Twin Beech, which is
powered by two Pratt &
Whitney R-985s and has a
cruising speed of 185 mph.
According to the display
poster, “Sweet Pea was one
of seven AT-7As manufactured, and was delivered on
floats to Elmendorf AFB in
Anchorage, Alaska, in April
1942…She was completely
remanufactured in 1954 by
Beechcraft…[and became]
a C-45H.” This Beech has
been an active transport for
decades but was never employed as a freighter. It was
restored in 1997 and christened Sweet Pea (of Popeye comic strip fame). N213SP also appeared in the movie The Good Shepherd.
“It had been sitting out for three-and-a-half years, and my retired airline pilot son, Ken, ferried it home in
March and re-covered the fabric tail feathers,” he says. “His wife, Lorraine, is still a working airline pilot, and
she did the interior and upholstery.” Morris adds, “Lo and behold, after the annual was done the right engine
had to be repaired, so there’s been a lot of work and money going into it. It’s been a labor of love. And now
Lorraine is checked out and she also flies it. They’re based in Poplar Grove, Illinois, and are well-known in
vintage circles—they do the hand-propping demonstration in front of the Red Barn.” Sweet Pea was awarded
Transport Category Runner-Up.
18 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 20
9/28/12 9:26 AM
Dennis and Susan Lyons of San Miguel, California, are Vintage members who bought their 1942 Howard DGA-15P (N67433) in 2003. Powered
by a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985, this Howard is affectionately known
as Archibald “B.” There’s a story behind that name, and the short version is this, according to Dennis: “The name comes from a little ditty that
was told by Clayton Graves, who restored the airplane in 1974. When we
bought the airplane, we were told that it wouldn’t be ours until I could
tell the story about Archibald ‘B’ (this ditty, like poetry, is best recited
verbally).” Dennis smiles broadly, adding, “Archibald introduces us to
the most interesting people everywhere we go, because they want to
come out and look at Archibald. I started coming to AirVenture in 1973,
when I got back from Vietnam. It’s wonderful to come here and see
people that you only see here; it’s really enjoyable.”
Susan enjoys coming to Oshkosh to see old friends and make new ones,
and she says their flight from California was especially nice this year.
“Archibald is very comfortable for long cross-countries, and once you
get up there, you really don’t want to come down to land because it’s usually rough and hot,” she says. “So if
you have smooth air and the fuel, just go for it! That’s what we did on this trip; our longest leg was Roundup,
Montana, to Siren, Wisconsin. It took us four-and-a-half to five hours at 9,500 feet, and the air was as smooth
as glass. The airplane will go almost seven hours nonstop; we cruise around 150 mph, and if we have any tail
winds we’ll take them! I’ve seen it up to 180 and 190 mph.”
Dennis learned to fly in a Cessna 150 in San Luis Obispo while enrolled in college Army ROTC. Dennis says, “The day
after I got my license, I grabbed my instructor and said, ‘I want to know what this spin thing is all about.’ After
that, I drove up to Paso Robles and learned to fly a tailwheel airplane, a Citabria 7ECA.” He elaborates, “Flying
tailwheel airplanes is a lot of fun, but the guy who checked me out in the Howard told me, ‘From the moment
you sit down until the moment the propeller stops after shutdown, it’s trying to get you—the whole time! So pay
attention.’ I’ve had some interesting go-arounds and a few unpleasant landings, but I’ve never ground-looped
it—yet. The one thing that comes to my mind on final approach is, ‘I am not taking this airplane home on a truck!’
I’ve logged close to 435 hours in Archibald now, and another 100 in a Howard we owned during the 1980s. All told,
I’ve logged about 15,000 hours—in gliders, helicopters (including 600 in Vietnam), and Boeing 777 to J-3s.”
Ross Warner flew N2988T, his 1966
Meyers 200D of Benton Harbor, Michigan,
to Oshkosh this year, as he’s done most
every year for the last decade or so. He’s
owned the airplane since 2000, and it
was awarded the Outstanding Limited
Production – Outstanding in Type at
AirVenture 2009.
“I just redid the panel this spring,” he
says, “so I have the only Meyers 200 with
an updated glass panel! Technically speaking, it’s an Aero Commander 200, even
though it says Meyers 200 on the nose,”
He laughs, explaining, “Aero Commander
bought the type certificate from Meyers,
and it’s basically the same airplane. There
were a total of 134 built, and 90 are flying—or could fly. I like the fact that it’s a
relatively rare airplane and that it’s fast.
It has a 285-hp Continental IO-520, and it
trues out at 175 knots, or 200 mph. It holds
80 gallons, so I can fly it for about fourand-a-half hours, which is long enough.
My son is a pilot, and we both fly for the
airlines [Delta]; coming to AirVenture is the
highlight of my summer!”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
Vintage Oct2012.indd 21
9/28/12 9:26 AM
Josh Brownell and his girlfriend, Kerryann
DiLoreto, of Brodhead, Wisconsin, are the
happy owners of NC663N, a 1930 Waco ATO
Taperwing that was restored in 2004 in Creve
Coeur, Missouri. It originally started life with
a Hisso engine, according to Brownell, but the
engine was changed later. NC663N holds two
passengers in the front cockpit and is powered by a 230-hp Wright 760 E-1. Brownell’s
a vintage member and first came to Oshkosh
two decades ago. “Oshkosh is fun because you
get to see people you know that you may not
get to see otherwise,” he says. “I grew up next
door to Ron Price in Sonoma, California, and 20
years ago his son Chris and I flew a Cub here
from Sonoma. Ron would take us flying when
we were so small; we both shared one seat
right next to him. We couldn’t even see over
the glare shield of a Cessna 152, but Ron would
tell us to pull back on the yoke when the airspeed got to 60! He owned the airport, and we
rode our go-carts all over the place—we’d get
so dirty out at the airport he had to hose us off before we could go home!”
Josh learned to fly in 1991, and he says when he turned 19, he and Chris “flew Ron’s Cub coast to coast. That really
kind of launched my flying career. I own this Waco with Kerryann, who is a student pilot, and we travel with it to
give rides [through our business, Gypsy Air Tours]; I couldn’t do it without her. We’ve just been having a ball with it.
I hop rides, and it gives me a chance to share the Waco with lots of people. And it gives them a chance to see what
it feels like to be in an open-cockpit biplane. We fly out of the Brodhead and Lake Geneva areas, and in the last two
months, we’ve flown 130 hours. Barnstorming is still alive! In August we’re going on the American Barnstormers Tour.
It’ll be my first time participating as a ride hauler, and we’re excited about that.”
NC37323 is a 1941 Interstate Cadet, owned by Alan and Glenda Reber of Indianapolis, Indiana. It was likely the
only Interstate on the flightline this year.
20 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 22
9/28/12 11:45 AM
Terry Blaser of Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, was in the vintage field with his 200-hp Ranger-powered
1946 Fairchild. He’s been flying since 1971 and soloed in a Stinson 108-2. He was attracted to the Fairchild
because he “wanted something a little bit bigger after the Stinson—something with four seats,” he says, “and
I wanted something with a radial engine, but that didn’t happen. Even though the Fairchild could go either
way, the radial engine never materialized. But it’s fun to fly.” Blaser smiles, adding, “And it’s comfortable.
It holds 60 gallons of fuel and burns right around 10 to 11 gph. I only cruise at 105 mph, so it’s not a speed
demon. But I don’t want to push that Ranger too hard. I re-covered the fuselage and tail with Poly-Fiber and
had some engine work done, but have left the wings alone so far. I’ve been coming to AirVenture since 1972
because I enjoy looking at all the airplanes, and have been bringing this airplane for the last 10 years.”
This boldly colored 1938 Stinson SR-10J was once owned by Shell Oil and flown by Jimmy Doolittle. NC21104 is
powered by a 300-hp Lycoming and is currently owned by Tom and Jeff Ferraro of McKinney, Texas. (It was featured in this magazine in March 2006.)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Vintage Oct2012.indd 23
9/28/12 9:27 AM
Vintage member Sam Lipscomb
of Commerce City, Colorado,
arrived at AirVenture in Miss
Cosette, his 1991 Classic Waco
YMF-5, which he named after his 7-year-old daughter
who accompanies him to local
fly-ins. He enjoyed a rare opportunity while in Oshkosh—
talking with a previous owner
of N333GD. “I was at the EAA
lifetime members dinner the
other night, and this gentleman sits down at the table.
And we start talking about
Wacos. It turned out that he
used to own my airplane!”
P revi o u s o wn e r G e ra rd
Dederich reflected that such a purely happenstance meeting was “really a remarkable coincidence, and I’m
excited to see my airplane again. I bought the plane new over 20 years ago and hadn’t seen it for 15 years
while it went through two other owners. My initials are in the N-number, and I flew rides with this Waco
in Marco Island, Florida; Branson, Missouri; and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I gave 3,000 people a ride in that
airplane. When business was slow, I pulled a banner with it that said, ‘Biplane Rides – 1-800-TRY-WACO.’”
Lipscomb says the Waco’s 275-hp Jacobs turns a wood-composite MT prop, “which gets me another 5 mph.
This Waco is s/n 41, which is the second Super Waco built. It has numerous internal mods and a larger rudder
and roomier cockpits. I’ve had it for a couple of years now, and I’m really happy with it. It’s fast and comfortable for cross-countries, and I’ve put 175 hours on it in two years.”
Lipscomb started flying at 13 and soloed at 16 in a Taylorcraft F-19, a stock 1942 Stearman PT-17, and a Cessna
172. “I learned at a private strip; we had a family farm in Virginia, and I learned from a local flight instructor.
I can still remember his booming voice on base leg, ‘You’re slow. Get the nose down!’ I didn’t realize at the
time what a rare opportunity it was to learn to fly in tailwheel airplanes; I thought that’s the way everybody
learned. But now I really appreciate the opportunities I had.”
N5751P is a striking 1959 Piper PA-24 Comanche, registered to G.C. Spencer of Weatherford, Oklahoma. It’s obviously retained its award-winning good looks since at least 1993 when it was Grand Champion – Contemporary.
22 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 24
9/28/12 9:27 AM
N119C is a 1949 Mooney M-18L
Mite, powered by a Lycoming
O-145. It spent most of its
l i fe w i t h G a r r y G ra m m a n
of El Cajon, California, until
2006, when Vintage member
Bruce Brown of Birmingham,
Alabama, purchased it. Brown
says, “I wanted to fly and do
it inexpensively, so I wanted a
plane that was low on maintenance. I asked my wife if she
wanted to go flying with me,
and she said no. So I said okay,
I just need a one-seater. I soloed in a Cessna 152; I had 42
hours when I bought the N119C,
and the airplane sat in the hangar in California until I got my license. Then I got an airline flight out, got in the
Mite, and flew it home. I was so excited to fly it, I took off, and I thought it wasn’t climbing the way I expected.
But I climbed up over this 10,000-foot mountain to get into the Imperial Valley on the way home, and got ready
to land and then realized I’d never brought the gear up! I assure you I didn’t forget that again!”
This is Brown’s second time at AirVenture, and it was a treat to see this 6-foot 3-inch pilot easily condense
himself into the Mite’s tiny cockpit. “The Mite has retractable gear, so I have to be retractable as well,” laughs
Brown, adding, “I usually fly 2-1/2-hour legs, and I’m fine with that. Garry never got to come to Oshkosh, so
I decided it would be a tribute to Garry to fly it here. He modernized this Mite every year of his life and also
replaced a plywood bulkhead with a metal one to strengthen the tail area. The most unique thing about this
airplane is the alternator system that Garry got a field approval for, and now I’ve added a modern electrical
system to it. After I bought the airplane, I had a hard landing, so I decided to look into the wings to be sure they
were okay. I found some cracking of the wood auxiliary spar and some deterioration of the glue. So we restored
the wings and re-covered them and then made a modern panel with a Garmin 430. It really surprises people
when they open up a 1949 airplane and see it so up to date. After six years of owning the Mite, I can’t imagine
not having it—it’s like a Hawaiian shirt, you know? You put it on and it just makes you smile!” (Watch for an
upcoming feature on this airplane.)
This 1949 Douglas DC-3 (N734H) is registered to Good Aviation LLC of Oshkosh and was parked close to the South 40.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Vintage Oct2012.indd 25
9/28/12 9:27 AM
Vintage member Mark Hopp
of Middleton, Wisconsin, has
about seven hours of flight
instruction in his freshly restored 1946 Piper J-3C-65 Cub
(NC98394), and he intends to
complete his training and take
his checkride in NC98394. He
started out flying from the
front seat of the Cub with a pilot friend, and when he officially started taking lessons, he
transitioned to the rear seat.
Laughing, he declares, “It’s a
different world back there—
the sight picture just changes
so dramatically! My wife, Lisa,
also plans to learn how to fly
in the Cub.”
Now 53, Hopp’s interest in airplanes started when he was a boy, building Guillows, Comet, and Sterling balsawood kits, which he hung from the
ceiling. Then he started flying remote-controlled airplanes in his 20s. A few years ago, he visited Jerry Johnson,
who was building a Wag-Aero CUBy in his garage . . . That’s when he got the bug for one-to-one scale aircraft.
Johnson had two young sons, Cory and Ryan, who were already in the award-winning restoration business.
“Then one day this J-3 came up for sale, and Cory, Ryan, and Jerry were going to give me a hand to help me
restore it,” he says. “It had been flipped over by a storm back in 1964, and pushed into a hangar and left to
sit.” Hopp explains, “They did a lot of fuselage repair, and by the time I got it in 2002 most of the hard work
was done; it was just a matter of covering it with Ceconite and Randolph dope and putting it back together.
Lisa was also a great help with support and her sewing skills. She did the interior seat slings and seats. We did
all the work in a one-car garage and completed it in 2010.”
When the Cubs to Oshkosh flight was announced, Hopp couldn’t resist twisting his instructor’s arm to fly
along with him during the mass arrival. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!” exclaims Hopp. “We were
seventh in line when we took off from Hartford, so I could see four airplanes in front of me most of the time.”
Hopp says, “Since I was flying from the back seat, I just kind of put the Cub in front of me over the left eyebrow and followed him into Oshkosh. It was fun to see 85 J-3s show up at Hartford.”
This uniquely painted and polished 1946 Cessna 140 was simply shining in the sweltering sun, down in the
South 40. Registered to Roger Simoneau of Quebec, Canada, this Cessna is powered by a 135-hp Lycoming O-290
and has a cruising speed of 110 mph.
24 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 26
9/28/12 9:28 AM
EAA lifetime member Steve Ware of Lonoke,
Arkansas, had just arrived and was setting up camp with a friend when he took
a few minutes to talk about his 1946 North
American Navion (N22A, s/n 4-19). “It’s an
early Navion; they’re up to the 2,634th serial number now. I bought it in 2006 from
an 82-year-old man in Terrell, Texas. He’d
owned it for 27 years, and it was his baby.
But he was getting out of flying. I got it for a
really good price, and it only had 200 hours
on the engine and prop. Then on my first
cross-country, the prop had a problem, and
it was a forced landing. But since it was right
after liftoff, I was able to land back on the
runway, luckily.” Ware adds, “I was looking
for a name for it, and Lucky Lady is what she
became. As far as I can tell it has the original
paint scheme and colors. I put about 100
hours a year on it. The Continental engine
(205 hp) is original to the airframe; it’s an E185. Originally it was an E185-3, but now with upgrades, it’s a -9.”
Ware is a retired Air Force C-130 pilot who first soloed a Cessna 152 in a college ROTC flight program. Then he went
on to pilot training in a T-37 and T-38. After retirement, he was flying a Piper Cherokee and was considering being
partners with his uncle in a Cessna 182. But then he went for a flight in a Navion, and a month later he bought N22A.
“I’m a member of the Southern Navion Air Group and American Navion Society, and this is my sixth year at
AirVenture,” reflects Ware, elaborating, “I come here not just to see other Navions but to check out everybody
that’s here and to see all the neat aircraft—and then settle back and watch the air show in the afternoon. I
always find somebody I know here, and I enjoy hooking up with them and having dinner.”
What Our Members
Are Restoring
Are you nearing completion of a
restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy
flying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to
hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print
from a commercial source (no home printers,
please—those prints just don’t scan well) or
a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG
from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital
camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or
if you’re on a high-speed Internet connection,
you can e-mail them along with a text-only
or Word document describing your airplane.
(If your e-mail program asks if you’d like to
make the photos smaller, say no.) For more
tips on creating photos we can publish, visit
VAA’s website at www.VintageAircraft.org.
Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want
To Send Us A Photograph?
For more information, you can also
e-mail us at [email protected] or
call us at 920-426-4825.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Vintage Oct2012.indd 27
9/28/12 9:28 AM
2012 Vintage Aircraft Association Awards
Antique (through August 1945)
Transport Category Runner-Up
Kenneth Morris, Poplar Grove, Illinois
1941 Beech C45H, N213SP
Customized Aircraft Runner-Up
Jerrel Barto, Riverside, California
1937 Waco YKS-7, NC17472
World War II Era (1942-1945) Runner-Up
Jeffrey Wheeler, Pataskala, Ohio
1941 Meyers OTW 160, NC26476
Bronze Age (1937-1941) Outstanding ClosedCockpit Monoplane
Kenneth Eckel, Hernando, Mississippi
1940 Piper J-3C-65, N35054
Bronze Age (1937-1941) Runner-Up
Guy Bourke, Little River, Victoria, Australia
1939 Waco AGC-8, NC66206
Silver Age (1928-1936) Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane
David Allen, Elbert, Colorado
1930 Waco Biplane, NC662Y
Silver Age (1928-1936) Champion - Bronze Lindy
Stanley Sweikar, Dameron, Maryland
1929 Fleet 2, NC431K
Antique Reserve Grand Champion - Silver Lindy
Walter Bowe, Livermore, California
1929 Laird LC-RW300, N4442
Antique Grand Champion - Gold Lindy
Peter Ramm, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
1937 Lockheed 12A, CFLKD
Classic (September 1945-1955)
Outstanding Beech - Small Plaque
Virgil Johnson, Wellington, Ohio
1947 Beech 35, N2786V
Outstanding Cessna 170/180 - Small Plaque
Robert Runkle, Swanton, Ohio
1953 Cessna 170B, N3140A
Outstanding Cessna 190/195 - Small Plaque
Dave Fisher, Edina, Minnesota
1948 Cessna 195, N195PL
Outstanding Ercoupe - Small Plaque
Patrician Horn, Waterford, Wisconsin
1947 Engineering & Research 415-D, N2231H
Silver Age (1928-1936) Runner-Up
Lawrence D. Buhl Jr., Harbor Springs, Michigan
1928 Buhl Airsedan, N5680
Outstanding Luscombe - Small Plaque
Joe Champagne, Fairland, Oklahoma
1949 Silvaire Luscombe 8F, N2113B
Replica Aircraft Champion - Bronze Lindy
Ingrid Zimmer, Jefferson, Maryland
1939 Piper J-3P, N20280
Outstanding Piper J-3 - Small Plaque
Robert Epting, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
1946 Piper J-3C-65, NC92455
World War II Military Trainer/Liaison Aircraft Champion Bronze Lindy
Dean Maupin, Davenport, Iowa
1942 Waco UPF-7, NC39743
Transport Category Champion - Bronze Lindy
Michael Boren, Boise, Idaho
1943 Stinson V77, N743PM
Customized Aircraft Champion - Bronze Lindy
Paul Carmichael, Ellicottville, New York
1940 Waco UPF-7, N20979
World War II Era (1942-1945) Champion - Bronze Lindy
Eric Hertz, Auckland, New Zealand
1947 Beech 17, N80316
Bronze Age (1937-1941) Champion - Bronze Lindy
Sean Soare, Loves Park, Illinois
1937 Waco YKS-7, NC17716
Outstanding Piper Other - Small Plaque
Craig Kehrer, Morris, Pennsylvania
1947 Piper J-3C-65, NC3617N
Outstanding Stinson - Small Plaque
Gregory Farish, North Gower, Ontario, Canada
1947 Stinson 108, CFMVK
standing Swift - Small Plaque
James & Carolyn Roberts, Knoxville, Tennessee
1956 Globe GC-1B, N78012
Preservation - Small Plaque
George Greiman, Garner, Iowa
1950 Beech B35, N5186C
Custom Class A (0-80 hp) - Small Plaque
Rodney Graham, Fyffe, Alabama
1946 Piper J-3C-65, NC6243H
Custom Class B (81-150 hp) - Small Plaque
Ron Jewell, Edmond, Oklahoma
1946 Piper J-3C-65, N98829
26 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 28
9/28/12 9:28 AM
Custom Class C (151-235 hp) - Small Plaque
Barbara and Stephen Wilson, Granbury, Texas
1948 Temco GC-1B, N3876K
Outstanding Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer - Outstanding in Type
David Sterling, Trempealeau, Wisconsin
1957 Piper PA-22-150, N6929D
Custom Class D (236-plus hp) - Small Plaque
Vernon Waltman, Austin, Texas
1953 Cessna 195, N4495C
Outstanding Piper PA-28 Cherokee - Outstanding in Type
Dale Phillips, Westfield, North Carolina
1969 Piper PA-28-180, N6428J
Best Custom Runner-Up - Large Plaque
Frank Sublett, Winchester, Virginia
1948 Temco GC-1B, N2380B
Class I (0-80 hp) - Bronze Lindy
Charles Webb, Fort Worth, Texas
1946 Piper J-3C-65, NC70919
Class II (81-150 hp) - Bronze Lindy
Richard Harris, West Nyack, New York
1947 Cessna 140, NC2350N
Class III (151-235 hp) - Bronze Lindy
Larry Woodfin, Lake City, Florida
1948 Navion A, N888LW
Class IV (236-plus hp) - Bronze Lindy
William Saloga, Batavia, Illinois
1952 Cessna 195, N1LA
Best Custom - Bronze Lindy
Andrew George, Groveport, Ohio
1948 Cessna 170, N4085V
Reserve Grand Champion - Silver Lindy
Dillon Barron, Perry, Missouri
1954 Cessna 170B, N1899C
Grand Champion - Gold Lindy
Roger Meggers and Darin Meggers, Baker, Montana
1950 Piper PA-18, N5410H
Preservation Award - Outstanding in Type
Stephanie Allen, Mukilteo, Washington
1969 Cessna 172K, N78797
Class I Single Engine (0-160 hp) - Bronze Lindy
Royce Johnson, Clinton, Arkansas
1964 Piper PA-18-150, N4106Z
Class III Single Engine (231-plus hp) - Bronze Lindy
Jim Gerblick, McCall, Idaho
1959 de Havilland DH2, N1959B
Custom Multiengine - Bronze Lindy
Jake Minesinger, Troy, Ohio
1964 Piper PA-23-250, N5622Y
Outstanding Customized - Bronze Lindy
Benjamin Van Kampen, Wichita, Kansas
1957 Piper PA-22-160, N1238V
Reserve Grand Champion - Silver Lindy
George Campbell, Aubrey, Texas
1964 Cessna 310, N8013M
Grand Champion - Gold Lindy
Douglas Nealey, South Barrington, Illinois
1966 de Havilland DHC-2 MK III, N94DN
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Contemporary (1956-1970)
Outstanding Beech Single Engine - Outstanding in Type
John Nazarenko, Leduc, Alberta, Canada
1957 Beech Bonanza H35, CFTAA
Outstanding Cessna 170/172/175 - Outstanding in Type
Chris Demopoulos, Dyer, Indiana
1966 Cessna 172H, N3832R
Outstanding Cessna 180/182/210 - Outstanding in Type
Robert Johnson, Rochester Hills, Michigan
1966 Cessna 182J, N498EK
Outstanding Cessna 310 - Outstanding in Type
Edward Ferguson, Billings, Montana
1967 Cessna 310L, N3321X
Outstanding Mooney - Outstanding in Type
Ross Ernest, Cincinnati, Ohio
1969 Mooney M10, N9508V
Outstanding Piper PA-18 Super Cub - Outstanding in Type
Joseph Norris, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
1960 Piper PA-18, N3678Z
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Vintage Oct2012.indd 29
9/28/12 9:28 AM
Cub Anniversary Merchandise
These Cub anniversary items were a huge
hit at AirVenture 2012. For a short time we
have a limited number of 75th Anniversary caps and
duffles available. This duffle won’t get lost in your airplane, it’s beautiful
color stands out. Embroidered logos on both sides of bag. Cap has three
beautifully embroidered logos.
Cap
Duffel
5266 8285 00000
5266 8286 00000
$15.99*
$19.99*
Aeronautical Jacket
Perfect for men and women to wear depicting a
sectional chart. Simply tuck this light weight jacket
in the airplane and you are ready for any weather.
5266341503000
5266341504000
5266341505000
5266341506000
MD
LG
XL
2X
$44.99*
SALE
$26.99*
Travel Mugs
Vacation, here we come! These mugs have a wonderful soft texture, smooth,
but not slippery. Curved in at the middle for a good grip.
5266139000061
5266139000051
5266139000031
5266139000020
5266139000011
Blue
Green
Orange
Red
Pink
$13.99*
www.shopeaa.com/vaa
Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612
From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)
*Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted.
WI residents add 5% sales tax.
28 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 30
9/28/12 9:29 AM
Crystal Studded Caps
The classic Cub is placed on the
front in crystals.
Yellow Cap 5266713600000
Gold Cap 5266713700000
$15.99*
Shaped Puzzle
$15.99*
For a great challenge this 750 piece puzzle is not
rectangular, it is shaped like an airplane!
5266770300000
Men’s Jacket
www.shopeaa.com/vaa
Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612
From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)
*Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted.
WI residents add 5% sales tax.
Socks for Adults
Comfortable socks depicting
aviation will keep your feet
warm and aviation dressed
right down to your feet.
$10.99*
Lightweight cotton M-65 Jacket in
Khaki. Hood zips into collar. Pockets
are plentiful!
5266177702082
5266177703082
5266177704082
5266177706082
SM
MD
LG
2X
$59.99*
SALE
$35.99*
Grey-Adult size 9-11 5266140703091
Grey -Adult size 10-13 5266140704091
Black-Adult size 10-13 5266140704093
Blue-Adult size 9-11 5266140703061
Blue-Adult size 10-13 5266140704061
Lavender-Adult size 9-11 5266140703070
Lavender -Adult size 10-13 5266140704070
Vintage Oct2012.indd 31
9/28/12 9:29 AM
Vintage
Mechanic
THE
BY ROBERT G. LOCK
Aircraft fabric covering, Part 3
We have explored aircraft fabric covering from the beginning and have traced the coatings used to shrink and seal the
cloth. We have moved forward to a time when new synthetic
processes began to replace the old Grade A and Irish linen
covering methods. Requirements for fabric covering moved
through the government bureaucracy starting with the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce, into the
Bureau of Aeronautics, the CAA, and finally the FAA. By the
time new synthetic processes appeared, developers had to
deal with the FAA and its bureaucratic nightmare.
But first one last look at the finishing process for Grade A
cotton fabric in WWII. Illustration 1 is Stearman Aircraft Division of the Boeing Airplane Company Report No. A75N19000, dated January 6, 1941, on the model N2S -1, N2S-2,
and N2S-3 airplanes manufactured for the U.S. Navy Department, Bureau of Aeronautics Contract No. 74807.
ILLUSTRATION 1
It is not my intent here to detail how to use each of the
current synthetic fabric processes but rather to expose
common threads that can be applied to all methods. Let
us begin this discussion with the fabric, which is common
to all processes, which is unshrunk Dacron woven cloth. In
previous columns we have discussed the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage to Grade A cotton fabric and detailed a test by Ray Stits that is contained in the Poly-Fiber
Procedure Manual. Illustration 2 shows the complete test
results as taken from the manual. Note that heavy- and
medium-weight Dacron was reduced to just 15 percent of
original strength with exposure of 13 months to the UV radiation from our sun.
From these tests one can conclude:
• If there is not enough UV blocking material applied to
Grade A and Dacron cloth, degradation of strength will occur, probably at a slow rate depending
on how light the coatings were applied.
• If there are significant cracks in
the coatings that expose filaments directly to the sun and UV radiation.
• If there are large areas where coatings have peeled from Dacron material
thus exposing area(s) to UV radiation.
Therefore, one can conclude that the
application of UV blocking material is
of the utmost importance. A method
to check for integrity of coatings that
block UV radiation is to shine a bright
light inside the fabric covering and see
if any light is transferred to the outside. A strong flashlight will generally
work to conduct this check. So when
conducting an annual inspection on
a fabric-covered ship, I check the logbook to see when it was covered, what
weight Dacron was used, and who did
the job. Then I inspect the coatings for
integrity, looking closely for any cracks
or peeling that would expose the weave
to UV radiation. If coatings are intact, I remove inspection covers and
30 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 32
9/28/12 9:29 AM
ing material. Here I am using an HVLP spray gun attached
to a 2-gallon pressure pot.
ILLUSTRATION 3
There were two “field” testers that measured the strength
of fabric; however, the most reliable is a laboratory pull
test. The oldest fabric tester was the Seyboth that punched
a hole in the fabric surface. It read in color bands of red,
orange, yellow, and three bands of green. Red band = 56
pounds or less, orange band = 56+ pounds, yellow band = 60
pounds, first green band = 68 pounds, second green band
= 72 pounds, third green band = 80+ pounds. The Seyboth
ILLUSTRATION 2
shine a bright flashlight against the top surfaces checking
for light transmitting through the UV blocking material. I
look closely at fabric attachment to structure, particularly if
there is a fairing strip installed, such as the top fuselage and
windshield junction. Based on the Stits findings regarding
Dacron deterioration, there would be no reason to pull test
the fabric if the coatings were good.
If the conclusion that UV blocking material sprayed on
a fabric surface affects the overall life of the covering, then
one can conclude proper application of silver to the surface
is critical. Illustration 3 shows spraying the first of four wet
cross coats of Poly-Spray to block UV radiation of the sun.
A most important step in aircraft fabric covering no matter
what type of process is the correct application of UV block-
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
Vintage Oct2012.indd 33
9/28/12 9:30 AM
ILLUSTRATION 4
fabric tester was made by the Langley Corporation, San Diego, California. It was calibrated for Grade A cotton fabric
only and was not intended to be used as a universal measuring device for other fabrics or finishes. It probably would
not be used as a field-test instrument for determining fabric strength because it was replaced by the Maule tester.
The Maule fabric tester shown in illustration 4 was designed to test in-service fabric on structures causing as little
damage to the surface as possible. When testing fabric the
tester was placed on the fabric surface and pressure slowly
applied to the tester while reading the numbers on the
scale. I used to push until I read above 46 pounds for intermediate fabric and above 56 pounds for heavier weight fabric. It would work on both Grade A and synthetic fabric, and
unless the fabric was below minimum requirement, would
not punch a hole in the surface. Unlike the Seyboth tester,
the Maule unit reads in pounds per inch along the shaft, beginning with 5 pounds and ending with 80 pounds per inch.
The most accurate method to determine aircraft fabric
strength is by a pull test under controlled laboratory conditions. Left is a very old pull test on my Aeronca 7AC done
by the Twining Lab in Fresno, California. Note how accurate the readings
are. The minimum deteriorated fabric
strength for a 7AC is 46 pounds per
inch warp and fill. When testing fabric
always test on the top surface in the
darkest color because that is where
deterioration will be the greatest. Recall Ray Stits raw fabric test; deterioration was the greatest on the top
surface and less on the bottom surface. These three samples indicate the
fabric is still airworthy.
I recall sending Twining three
samples of new raw Dacron cloth for
tensile testing. The first sample was
Ceconite 101 (3.6 ounce per square
yard), and it pull tested more than 150
pounds per inch and a notation was
made that the fabric tester read 150
pounds maximum and it failed above
that amount. The second sample was
Ceconite 103 (2.6 ounces per square
yard and a suitable replacement for
the old intermediate Grade A cotton
fabric), and it pull tested 97 pounds
per inch. The third sample was advertised as Dacron cloth for experimental
aircraft only, and it pull tested around
75 pounds per inch as I recall. However, Twining noted that the fibers
pulled apart rather than breaking. I
just removed Ceconite 101 fabric covering from my Aeronca 7AC that had
been in place since 1971. I intend to
have a couple samples pull tested just
to see what the value is after more than 38 years of service.
I expect to find it still good because it had eight cross coats
of silver dope applied over six coats of clear nitrate dope
when I covered it back in 1971. Illustration 5 details the results of a fabric pull test under laboratory conditions on my
Aeronca Champ when it was first done in 1964.
When aircraft woven fabric cloth is pull tested the sample must measure 1 inch wide and 6 inches long , and the
pull must be directly along the fibers, not across them. This
test necessitated cutting substantial openings in the fabric’s
upper surfaces in the darkest colors. These openings would
generally measure 1-1/2 inches by 6-1/2 inches, giving the
laboratory some excess for trimming. The samples were
sent in with coatings intact. Repairing those holes took a
fair amount of labor; a pigmented doped surface was the
easiest, and an enamel or polyurethane surface much more
difficult depending on the synthetic fabric process.
Inspection of fabric surfaces consists of an examination
of coatings to make sure there are no cracks that expose
woven cloth fibers. Look for wrinkles, particularly at the
trailing edge of wood wings that would indicate rib dam-
32 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 34
9/28/12 9:30 AM
and the NITE came from copying Bill Lott’s Eonite process
name. Anyway, the Ceconite process using nitrate and butyrate dope is still around.
Synthetic fabric should always be repaired by following
the instructions included in the procedure manual that, in
some cases, refers back to AC43.13-1B. Of course, the mechanic making the repair will have to determine whether
the size of the damaged area is a minor or a major repair.
Therefore the repair could be a logbook entry or would require an FAA Form 337.
This will end our discussion of aircraft fabric covering.
We have traced aircraft fabric covering from the early days
of WWI to the present and in doing so have uncovered some
very interesting tidbits of forgotten data and techniques.
Hopefully there are some points made that will make life
around fabric aircraft a little easier, particularly the inspection of fabric surfaces.
May 2009 RGL
ILLUSTRATION 5
age. If the fabric must be tested, start by using a Maule tester, keeping the pull test as a last resort because of repairs
needed to patch holes.
All synthetic fabric processes carry an FAA issued supplemental type certificate (STC). However if a newly manufactured aircraft is covered with a synthetic fabric, the STC
issue does not apply because the fabric type is part of its
type certificate. If an aircraft was originally covered with
Grade A cotton fabric and is re-covered with a synthetic, it
is a major alteration to its original TC. That is where the STC
fits into the picture as the STC allows the owner/mechanic
to alter the original TC without gaining FAA field approval.
Some of the early processes have been withdrawn: Eonex, Eonite, and Razorback come to mind. I once covered
a Beech D-17S with Eonex and covered my Fairchild PT-19
fuselage with Razorback, but have done the most work with
Ceconite and Poly-Fiber. Razorback used a treated lightweight fiberglass cloth filled by spraying butyrate dope until
the fabric tautened and was filled. It was prone to pinholes,
and in cold wet weather would loosen and wr inkle, but
tauten when the temperature warmed up.
The early Ceconite process using Dacron fabric and coating with nitrate and butyrate dope most closely resembled
the Grade A cotton process. I recall back in 1959 (give or
take a couple years—it’s hard to remember exactly when
this happened!), Slim Kidwell, a Bellanca dealer at the Torrance airport, experimented with Dacron cloth and butyrate dope on a flap assembly. After a few flights the butyrate
dope peeled off the cloth, so that wasn’t the answer. I don’t
know exactly, but he may have been working with Col. Daniel Cooper to perfect the Ceconite process. Allegedly Ceconite stood for Cooper Engineering Company (CECO),
REFERENCES:
Poly-Fiber Procedure Manual dated April 1998 by Jon
Goldenbaum
Stearman Aircraft Division, Report No. A75N1-9000 dated
June 6, 1941
AC43.13-1B, Change 1
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
Vintage Oct2012.indd 35
9/28/12 9:30 AM
by H.G. FRAUTSCHY
MYSTERY PLANE
J U LY ’ S M Y S T E R Y A N S W E R
The specific aircraft pictured as the July Mystery Plane was NC463M, serial No. 7, and it was operated by Gorst Air Transport between Seattle and Bremerton, Washington.
irst, an announcement.
As VAA moves forward
with plans to revise the
content and appearance of Vintage Airplane
magazine, the Mystery Plane column
will come to an end with the publication of the answer to September’s Mystery Plane in the December issue. That’s
why you don’t see a Mystery Plane at
the head of this month’s column.
This column has been a part of the
magazine since the 1970s and was
overseen for many years by the late
George Hardie, one of EAA’s earliest
editorial contributors. Back in 1995,
when George could no longer write the
column, I took over, thinking it would
end shortly thereafter, simply because
F
it seemed the number of Myst er y
Planes available that were not weird
one-off airplanes from the 1920s and
’30s was quickly dwindling.
But about the time I would hear the
stone hit bottom when I tossed it in the
“Mystery Plane well,” a few more would
trickle in, so I kept it going, mostly because there was a pretty large following
for the column back in the 1990s, and
occasionally a few photos would come
to us from members or be donated to
the EAA library.
The reality is that few photos that
would qualify now come to the library in
the numbers we used to see, and sadly,
very few people still respond to the column. Those dedicated few who do so
regularly have been unfailingly loyal and
among Vintage Airplane’s most ardent
contributors. My thanks to each and every one of you. I’m glad I was able to put
a little more fun in each of your months.
So without further ado, here’s part
of the first answer for the July Mystery
Plane, sent to us by one of our earliest
members (he’s VAA 97), Mr. Lynn Towns
of Holt, Michigan:
“The July Mystery Plane is the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover. This plane was
built by the Eastman Aircraft Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, on approved
type certificate No. 288. The plane was
a three-place open-cockpit seaplane.
There were two cockpits, each with
a set of controls. The pilot would usually fly from the single-place rear cockpit, and the passengers would sit in the
34 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 36
9/28/12 9:30 AM
Sea Rover NC463M being pulled from the water by a fire boat after the
pilot named “Sparky” dug a wing into the water and flipped the airplane over.
two-place front cockpit. The production
planes were powered by a 185-hp sixcylinder Curtiss R-600 Challenger engine, which was a two-row radial engine
with three cylinders per row. The vibrations from the Challenger engine reportedly plagued the Sea Rover with failures
of engine mounts.”
Since a few members did such a great job
researching this seaplane, I thought it fitting to use sections of each of their letters.
Here’s some additional information from
member Wes Smith, Springfield, Illinois:
“The July 2012 Mystery Plane is the
Eastman Aircraft Corp. E-2 Sea Rover
(NC463M, c/n 7, ATC 288) biplane flying boat, operated by Gorst Air Transport from 1929-30.
“Vern C. Gorst was the founder of
Pacific Air Transport (PAT), which he
operated from 1926-28, until he sold
the company to William Boeing. Previously, he had been a bus operator from
Oregon. After selling PAT, Gorst established a short-lived airline to carry airmail from Seattle to Alaska. On June
15, 1929, Gorst founded Gorst Air
Transport (GAT) with flights from Seattle to Bremerton, with occasional ‘flag
stops’ along the route. Eleven roundtrip flights were scheduled each day,
and a total of 15,000 passengers were
carried in 1930, using two Loening C2C
Air Yachts. He also established air ferries, again, using Loening C2Cs, which
provided scheduled ser vice across
San Francisco Bay from San Francisco
to Alameda, Oakland, and Vallejo. In
1930, they carried 60,000 passengers.
The crossing took six minutes, with a
two-minute turnaround. Later, Walter Varney became the company director. When the San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge opened in 1936, the service ended. After several unsuccessful
tries at establishing new airlines, Gorst
eventually returned to Oregon where
he passed away in 1953.
“The original Eastman E-2, known
as the Beasley-Eastman, was designed
by James H. Eastman and Tom Towle.
P.R. Beasley, a Detroit businessman,
served as financier. The prototype had
an empennage supported by outrigger
struts and was powered by an Anzani
engine, which was later changed to a
110-hp Warner Scarab. Production aircraft had full-length hulls and Curtiss
R-600 six-cylinder Challenger radial
engines of 170-185 hp.
“The strut arrangement of the biplane wings was somewhat unique in
that a large vee strut ran from the upper wing to the hull. N-struts served
as the outer interplane struts, while
the central engine and nacelle were
supported by several inclined struts
attached to the upper hull. The horizontal stabilizer was supported with
N-struts, and the vertical rudder had
an aerodynamic balance. The lower
wing was much smaller than the upper
and almost qualified as a sesquiplane.
“The hull was a mix of ash and spruce
construction covered by Alclad aluminum sheeting screwed to the hull. The
wing spars were spruce and plywood box
beams with plywood truss ribs. The leading edges were covered with Dural sheet,
and the entire structure covered with
fabric. Ailerons were fitted to the upper wings only, and small wingtip floats
were fitted to the lower wings.
“The engine nacelle was made of chromoly steel tubing covered with aluminum. The fuel tanks were fitted in the
upper wing center section, and the oil
tank was located in the nacelle. Like
the hull, the wingtip floats were also of
mixed wood construction, covered with
Alclad aluminum. The fabric-covered
empennage was built of steel channel
sections and welded steel tubing. The
horizontal stabilizer was adjustable, and
a small water rudder was linked to the
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35
Vintage Oct2012.indd 37
9/28/12 9:31 AM
From the pages of a brochure for the Eastman, we have these fanciful illustrations depicting its operations far
from where it became the most famous, the deep interior of Canada.
vertical rudder by a spring-loaded attachment. All controls were operated by
stranded steel cable.
“Sixteen E-2s were built by the
Eastman Aircraft Corp. at Detroit,
Michigan, Edward S. Evans serving
as company president and James H.
Eastman as chief of engineering. Carl
B. Squier was in charge of sales, but
in 1930 Evans was succeeded by Beasley as company president, and Carl S.
Betts became the sales manager.
“Two cockpits were built into the
hull, the front cockpit normally serv-
Specifications
Upper wingspan
36 feet 0 inches
Lower wingspan
20 feet 8 inches
Length overall
26 feet 3 inches
Height
8 feet 9 inches
Empty weight
1,745 pounds
Gross weight
2,725 pounds
Useful load
980 pounds
Two fuel tanks in the center section held 48 gallons, the oil tank held 5 gallons,
and the payload with full fuel and oil was 490 pounds.
Maximum speed
110 mph
Cruising speed
90 mph
Landing speed
50 mph
Range at 10.6 gph
360 miles
Initial rate of climb
740 fpm
Service ceiling
9,500 feet
ing for one or two passengers, the pilot
sitting in the aft cockpit. Dual controls
could be fitted, and kapok-filled leather
seat cushions doubled as life preservers. The original price was $8,750,
which was increased to $9,985 before
being cut to $6,750 by March of 1931.
A pneumatic Heywood starter was fitted to the engine, and the metal propeller was ground-adjustable. A first aid
kit and fire extinguisher was carried,
and air and water navigation lights
were fitted.
“Some of the best information on
Vern Gorst, incidentally, comes from
the late R.E.G. Davies’ Airlines of the
United States Since 1914. Prior to his
death in 2011, Mr. Davies served as a
longtime curator at the National Air
and Space Museum, was the leading
expert on the world’s airlines, and was
an aerospace historian of the highest
caliber. During a visit with Mr. Davies
in 1998, I brought him a small jar of a
Midwestern delicacy known as ‘apple
36 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 38
9/28/12 9:31 AM
A Six-Cylinder Radial?
By Wes Smith
The Curtiss R-600 Challenger engine
was one of the few six-cylinder radials to be mass-produced. The nominal
horsepower rating was 170 hp at 1800
rpm. The low-compression version had
a compression ratio of 4.9:1, and the
high-compression version had a ratio
of 5.25:1. The overall length was 42-5/32
inches, with a diameter of 42.625 inches.
The bore was 5.125 inches, and the stroke
was 4.875 inches—the total displacement
actually being 603 cubic inches. The dry
weight without starter was 420 pounds,
and the lubrication was supplied by
pressure and scavenging pumps. Two
Scintilla magnetos supplied the ignition
to two B.G. 1XA spark plugs in each cylinder. A two-barrel Stromberg NA-U4J carburetor was used, and accessories
included an engine-driven fuel pump,
a propeller hub, starter/generator gun
synchronizer, and tool kit. The crankshaft was a two-throw balanced affair
with two master rods, each fitted with
short H-section link rods. Ribbed aluminum alloy pistons were used, and the
carburetor barrels were heated with exhaust, a valve being used to regulate the
heat flow. Cast aluminum cylinder heads
were screwed and shrunk to forged steel
cylinder barrels. The rocker boxes were
integral with each cylinder head, two
silchrome valves being used per cylinder
and seated on bronze seats, each valve
being operated by conventional pushrods. The crankcase was split on the centerline of the front cylinder row.
butter,’ bearing an Ozark Airlines logo.
At the time, these were being sold by
the Prairie Aviation Museum at Bloomington, Illinois. In his best Eng lish
accent, Mr. Davies stated: ‘…Apple butter? I’ve never heard of such a thing!’ To
this day, it still gives me a chuckle.”
Renald Fortier, the curator of aviation
history at the Canada Aviation and Space
Museum in Ottawa, has always been
“Johnny on the spot” with answers about
aircraft that flew north of the U.S. border. He didn’t disappoint this time! Here’s
some of what he had to say:
“If I may, Vergne Centennial ‘Vern’
Gorst (18 August 1876–1953) was quite
the character. A rather interesting biography can be found at www.AirportJournals.com/Display.cfm?varID=0412029.
“While I have no doubt many of your
readers will provide you with ample details on the Sea Rover and its der ivative, the Model E-2A Sea Pirate, some of
them may not know that five Sea Rovers were put on the Canadian civil aircraft register. All five were bought and
registered by H. Tyrer of Toronto, Ontario, in June 1932.
“CF-AST (serial no 8 - ex NC474M)
was sold to Columbia Development of
Atlin, British Columbia (BC), in April
1933. It was withdrawn from use at
some point—possibly during the Second World War. CF-AST’s certificate of
registration lapsed in September 1945.
Its fate is unknown.
“CF-ASU (serial number 12 - ex
NC467M) was sold to L.W. Staples
of Carcross, Yukon, and registered in
March 1934. It was damaged beyond
repair in June 1936.
“CF-ASV (serial number 15 - ex
NC470M) was sold to J. MacConnachie
of Anyox, BC, and registered in November 1932. Its certificate of registration
lapsed in October 1935. CF-ASV was in
storage in Alice Arm, British Columbia,
as late as 1939. Its fate is unknown.
“CF-ASW (serial number 16 - ex
NC471M) was also sold to J. MacCon
nachie and registered in November
1932. W.K. Sproule of Vancouver, BC,
bought it and registered it in April
1934. CF-ASW was damaged beyond
repair in May 1937. Its remains were
left on site, in Howe Sound, BC.
“CF-ASY (serial number 17) was also
sold to Columbia Development—and
registered—in April 1933. Even though
its certificate of registration lapsed in
September 1943, it did not suffer the
fate of its companions. Indeed, it is currently on display at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Sidney, BC.
CF-ASY was restored using some components from CF-ASW.”
Other correct answers were received from Tom Lymburn, Princeton, Minnesota; John Schwamm,
Carefree, Arizona; and Jerry Paterson, Kent, Washington.
VINTAGE
TRADER
S o m e t h i n g t o b u y,
sell, or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180
words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167
inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black
and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month
prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the
closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the
right to rejec t any adver tising in conflic t with
its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue.
Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment
must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-4828) or e-mail ([email protected]) using
credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include
name on card, complete address, type of card, card
number, and expiration date. Make checks payable
to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA
Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37
Vintage Oct2012.indd 39
9/28/12 9:31 AM
WELCOME, NEW EAA VINTAGE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
Barry Ackerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coshocton, Ohio
Morgan Araldi . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Christopher Atwell . . . . . . . . . . . .Windermere, Florida
Ronald Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Albany, New York
James Baker II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallettsville, Texas
Dolly Bambas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Hill, Florida
Martin Baum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler, Texas
Richard Bender . . . . . . . . . . . . .Williamsburg, Virginia
Wayne Bissett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Midland, Texas
Lee Borchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Independence, Oregon
Blair Bouchier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Taos, New Mexico
Andrew Bowman . . . . . . . . Harbor Springs, Michigan
Kevin Boyette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jasper, Texas
Bruce Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birmingham, Alabama
Larry Buhl . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harbor Springs, Michigan
Warren Caldwell . . . . . . . . . Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Diana Carlson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dundee, Florida
Micheal Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marengo, Illinois
Cameron Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wapakoneta, Ohio
William Cavanaugh . . . . . . . . . . Coral Springs, Florida
Ted Cekinovich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Park Hill, Oklahoma
Craig Christilaw . . . . . . . . . . . Grand Haven, Michigan
Leonard Cobb . . . . . . . . . . .Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Lloyd Como. . . Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Steve Cukierski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Neenah, Wisconsin
Carl Daniel Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .El Paso, Texas
Francis Davey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norwood, New York
Ben Davidson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hood River, Oregon
Curt Debaun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terre Haute, Indiana
Raymond Debs . . . . . . . . . . . Gig Harbor, Washington
James Deininger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gibsonburg, Ohio
Peter Deloof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manchester, Michigan
Ian Dewhirst. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Debbie Dreher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Westfield, New Jersey
Amy Dumais . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Orlando, Florida
Kenneth Eckel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hernando, Mississippi
Wallace Edwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willard, Missouri
Robert Epting . . . . . . . . . . Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Ross Ernest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cincinnati, Ohio
Matt Essmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brownsville, Wisconsin
Thomas Ferraro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .McKinney, Texas
James Finley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Destrehan, Louisiana
Duane Fischer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lebanon, Illinois
Dave Fisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edina, Minnesota
Bill French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chesterfield, Missouri
Richard Friedman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wichita, Kansas
Jack Frost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goodrich, Michigan
Scott Furstenberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Omaha, Nebraska
Andrew George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Groveport, Ohio
William Glave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hartfield, Virginia
Kent Gorton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Locust Grove, Georgia
Michael Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greenfield, Indiana
Stephen Green . . . . . . . . Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Gary Grubb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lantana, Texas
Nathan Gump. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Neenah, Wisconsin
David Gustafson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naperville, Illinois
James Haley . . . . . . . . . . .Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aaron Halpin . . . . . . . . . . . . Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Andrew Hamilton . . . . . . . Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Tom Hammer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Cloud, Minnesota
Robert Hansen . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mooresville, Indiana
James Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grand Saline, Texas
Charles Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russellville, Arkansas
Gene Hogan . . . . . . Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada
Michael Howard . . . . . . . . . . . . Slaughters, Kentucky
Byron Hubbard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Midlothian, Texas
Michael Hughes . . . . . . . . . . Calmar, Alberta, Canada
Hugh Hunton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mansfield, Texas
Chris Imrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wallace Ingraham . . . . . . . . . .Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Kim Loanidis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmichael, California
Lawrence Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . .Hernando, Mississippi
Robert Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keystone, Colorado
Robert Johnson. . . . . . . . . . .Rochester Hills, Michigan
Royce Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clinton, Arkansas
Samuel Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . .Spring Grove, Illinois
Craig Kehrer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morris, Pennsylvania
James Keller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canton, Ohio
Jeffrey Keyt . . . . . . . . . . . New Providence, New Jersey
William Kientz . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chesterfield, Missouri
Tim Kroeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Michael Langston . . . . . . . . .Sherman Oaks, California
Raymond Latham . . . . . . . . . . . . . Counce, Tennessee
Ted Leach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Springfield, Illinois
James Leifheit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Rock, Illinois
Wayne Lemkelde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crowley, Texas
Michael Leone . . . . . . . . . . . . .Collinsville, Oklahoma
David Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandria, Louisiana
Sam Lipscomb . . . . . . . . . . . . Commerce City, Colorado
Brian Locascio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orland Park, Illinois
Valentina Lopez-Firewalks . . . . . . . . Pueblo, Colorado
Troy Macvey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Milan, Indiana
Abbey Manalli . . . . . . . . . . . . Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Glen Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capitola, California
Mark McCasland . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kansas City, Missouri
Roger Meggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baker, Montana
Danny Metz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brighton, Colorado
Jake Minesinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy, Ohio
Kim Moody. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Interlochen, Michigan
Charles Mott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chesapeake, Virginia
Drew Myers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lexington, Illinois
John Nazarenko . . . . . . . . . . . Leduc, Alberta, Canada
Ryan Newell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Massillon, Ohio
Michael Nolan . . . . . . . . . . . . Chevy Chase, Maryland
Russell Olson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Garner, Iowa
Stephen Otis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McAlester, Oklahoma
Steve Palauskas . . . . . . . . . . East Windsor, Connecticut
Lori Palauskas . . . . . . . . . . . East Windsor, Connecticut
David Patterson. . . . Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dale Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . Westfield, North Carolina
Gary Piper . . . . . . . . . . . . Hendersonville, Tennessee
Joyce Pipkin . . . . . . . . . . . . Columbia, South Carolina
Michael Quinn . . . . . . . . . . Matthews, North Carolina
Sarah Ratley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leawood, Kansas
Jeff Rayden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Encino, California
Robert Redman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy, Michigan
Patricia Reilly . . . . . . . . . . . Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Herb Reiskin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hollywood, Florida
Rusty Richards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Columbus, Indiana
Michael Rigg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Riverside, Alabama
Emil Roman . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moses Lake, Washington
Thomas Ruhlmann . . . . . . . . . . Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Russell Sanford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brooks, Georgia
Robert Schmidle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Washington, D.C.
Paul Schneider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tucson, Arizona
Richard Seaman . . . . . . . . . . . . . Little Rock, Arkansas
Bob Snell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friendswood, Texas
Kevin Snodgrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chillicothe, Ohio
Debra Snyder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmel, Indiana
Jay Sparks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lewisburg, West Virginia
Jack Stanton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pottsboro, Texas
Dustin Stephenson . . . . . . . . . . . .Kingsville, Missouri
38 OCTOBER 2012
Vintage Oct2012.indd 40
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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685).
Stephanie Stephenson . . . . . .Kingsville, Missouri
Frank Swinehart . . . . . McElhattan, Pennsylvania
Meredith Tcherniavsky . . . . . Rockville, Maryland
Aaron Tobias. . . . . . . . . . . . . Clearwater, Kansas
David Walen . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hill City, Minnesota
James Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carbondale, Illinois
Steven Ware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lonoke, Arkansas
Phyllis Warner . . . . . . . . . . Fort Wayne, Indiana
Charles Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth, Texas
Patrick Webb . . . . . . . . Spring Valley, Minnesota
James Weckman . . . . . . . Hutchinson, Minnesota
Nate Weinsaft . . . . . . . . Waltham, Massachusetts
Elliot Weiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fresno, Texas
Ken Whittemore . . . . . . . Fredericksburg, Virginia
Bruce Willan . Pymble, New South Wales, Australia
Bob Williams . . . . . . . . Navan, Ontario, Canada
Stephen Williams . . . . . . . . Georgetown, Maine
Michael Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlanta, Georgia
Mike Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . Everett, Washington
Keith Wilson . . . . . . . . . . Los Lunas, New Mexico
Mark Woodard . . . . . . Hookstown, Pennsylvania
Ingrid Zimmer . . . . . . . . . . . Jefferson, Maryland
James Zuelsdorf . . . . . . . . . Mayville, Wisconsin
New VAA
Lifetime Members
Hobart Bates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dexter, Michigan
George Carney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisle, Illinois
Daniel Cullman . . . . . . . . . . . Kent, Washington
Tim Fox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fort Wayne, Indiana
JoAnne Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fort Wayne, Indiana
Pickens Freeman . . . . Lake Wylie, South Carolina
Shane Grass. . . . . . . . . . . . . Monterey, California
Donis Hamilton . . . . . . . . . .Paragould, Arkansas
Larry Harmacinski . . . . Cornelius, North Carolina
Eric Hertz . . . . . Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand
Jeffrey Muhlenkort. . . . . Beresford, South Dakota
Richard Parsons . . . . . . . . . .Big Pine Key, Florida
Kevin Pullum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goddard, Kansas
War Reese . . . . . . . . . . . Waynesboro, Tennessee
Paul Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fort Wayne, Indiana
Robert Siegfried . . . . . . . .Downers Grove, Illinois
1. Title of Publication: Vintage Airplane 2. Publication No.:062-750. 3. Filing Date: 9/25/12. 4.
Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price:
$36.00 in U.S. 7. Known Office of Publication: EAA, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3806. Contact Person: Kathleen Witman, Telephone: 920-426-6156. 8. Headquarters
or General Business Office of the Publisher: Same as above. 9. Publisher: Rod Hightower. EAA,
3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Editor: Jim Busha, c/o EAA, 3000
Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Managing Editor: None. 10. Owner:
Experimental Aircraft Association, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 549033806. 11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1
percent or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 12. Tax Status:
Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Vintage Airplane. 14. Issue
date for circulation data below: September 2012. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average
No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/ No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to
Filing Date): a. Total No. of Copies Printed (6,851/6,460) b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside
the Mail): 1. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid
distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies) (5,830/5,693).
2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above
nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies) (0/0). 3. Paid Distribution Outside
the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other
Paid Distribution Outside USPS (341/328). 4. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through
the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail) (60/60). c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and
(4)) (6,231/6,081). d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail): 1. Free or
Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 2. Free or Nominal Rate InCounty Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 3. Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes
Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail) (17/5). 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail
(Carriers or other means) (401/173). e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3),
and (4) (418/178). f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) (6,649/6,259). g. Copies not Distributed
(See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))(202/201). h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) (6,851/6,460).
i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) (93.90%/97.16%). 16. Publication of Statement
Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the October 2012 issue of this publication. 17. I
certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone
who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information
requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment)
and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties). Theresa Books, Executive Administrator, 9/25/12.
PS Form 3526, August 2012
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
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9/28/12 9:34 AM
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
Enjoy the many benefits of the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association
President
Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
260-493-4724
[email protected]
Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674
Vice-President
George Daubner
N57W34837 Pondview Ln
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-560-1949
[email protected]
Treasurer
Dan Knutson
106 Tena Marie Circle
Lodi, WI 53555
608-592-7224
[email protected]
Ron Alexander
118 Huff Daland Circle
Griffin, GA 30223-6827
[email protected]
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557
[email protected]
David Bennett
375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln, CA 95648
916-952-9449
[email protected]
Jerry Brown
4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood, IN 46143
317-422-9366
[email protected]
DIRECTORS
Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-4500
[email protected]
Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
262-966-7627
[email protected]
Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton, MI 49065
269-624-6490
[email protected]
Robert D. “Bob” Lumley
1265 South 124th St.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633
[email protected]
Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-293-4430
[email protected]
Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033-0328
920-426-6110
Gene Chase
8555 S. Lewis Ave., #32
Tulsa, OK 74137
918-298-3692
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Joe Norris
[email protected]
920-688-2977
S.H. “Wes” Schmid
2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
[email protected]
Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Site: www.vintageaircraft.org
E-Mail: [email protected]
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft
Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine
for an additional $42 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one
year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $52 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).
(Add $7 for International Postage.)
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association,
Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. All
major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for
International Postage.)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United
States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount
for each membership.
Membership Services
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM—6:00 PM CST
Join/Renew800-564-6322 [email protected]
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
www.airventure.org
888-322-4636
[email protected]
Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline
877-359-1232
www.sportpilot.org [email protected]
Auto Fuel STCs
920-426-4843
EAA Air Academy
www.airacademy.org
920-426-6880/4815
[email protected]
[email protected]
EAA Scholarships
920-426-6823
[email protected]
Library Services/Research
920-426-4848
[email protected]
EAA VISA Card
800-853-5576 ext. 8884
EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program
www.eaa.org/hertz
800-654-2200
[email protected]
VAA Administrator Office
920-426-6110
[email protected]
Copyright ©2012 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association,
All rights reserved.
Ronald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent City, MI 49330
616-678-5012
[email protected]
E.E. “Buck” Hilbert
8102 Leech Rd.
Union, IL 60180
815-923-4591
[email protected]
Charles W. Harris
PO Box 470350
Tulsa, OK 74147
918-622-8400
[email protected]
Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110
[email protected]
John Turgyan
PO Box 219
New Egypt, NJ 08533
609-752-1944
[email protected]
PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Phone (920) 426-4800
EAA
Tim Popp
60568 Springhaven Ct.
Lawton, MI 49065
269-624-5036
[email protected]
Robert C. Brauer
9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60643
773-779-2105
[email protected]
Membership Services
Directory
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published
and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of
the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at
EAA Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh,
Wisconsin 549023-3086, e-mail: [email protected]. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of
Vintage Airplane magazine, is $42 per year for EAA members and
$52 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh,
Wisconsin 54902 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086. CPC #40612608. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES—
Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE
to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING —
Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any
product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive
criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained
through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories
and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely
those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests
entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material
should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service
marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of
these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the
Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.
40 OCTOBER 2012
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